Drunken. Robot. Pornography. Preview: A Crazy Shooter with a Crazy Name

I had no idea what to expect when I sat down to play a few rounds of Dejobaan Games’ Drunken. Robot. Pornography. at PAX East last month. The premise is much simpler (and more appropriate) than its name implies. In this arcade-y FPS, you control a jetpack-toting hero atop a skyscraper battling city block-sized robots called Titans in a fight to the death. Armed with a single gun and random power-ups that litter the rooftop, it’s your job to rack up a high score by blowing apart these technical marvels bit by bit before they end you.

I began my hands-on time with this PC game being told that these massive robots are invading Boston and I have to stop them. Starting up, I barely have time to get a hang of the controls before I’m quickly hurled into a colossal battle against a randomly selected Titan that materializes before me. Using the space bar to take enormous leaps with the help of my jetpack, I frantically run around the map grabbing power-ups and taking potshots at the arms of the mechanical behemoth that blocks the sky above me.

The game features vibrant colors that almost scream for attention. The white rooftop I traverse is bland compared to the bright coat of the Titan and the plasma-like energy I shoot from my gun. While the demo I played only featured one usable weapon, I was able to gather power-ups scattered across the level that altered the projectiles I shot in damage, fire rate, and hue.

By blasting away at the extremities of the Titan, parts of it begin exploding. The segmented sections of the robot’s appendages must be destroyed one-by-one until all that remains is the body. By concentrating fire on the large final piece, the Titan finally dies. I have a few seconds to grab a few more power-ups, boosting my health and changing my ammo type in the process, before another Titan materializes in, this one very different in size and appearance than the last.

What makes the gameplay fun is that you never know which Titan will drop in next, and each one requires different approaches to take down. Some have tons of arms that all shoot at you with attacks that take up nearly the entire map, making them fun challenges to defeat. Others only feature a couple body parts to destroy. The varying difficulty may be a turn-off to some, but it kept me entertained in my quest for a high score.

In the ensuing chaos, you may find yourself disoriented looking up to shoot at a Titan as you jump from one end of the map to the other, but don’t worry; falling off the skyscraper instantly respawns you with no penalty. This approach makes the most sense as it allows players to shoot and jump as frantically as they desire with no punishment for falling, which plays to the game’s strength.

Another component the final game will feature that I didn’t get to test out is the ability to build your own Titans. Using the shattered remains of the robots you’ve conquered, you’ll be able to test your friends against the creations you make. You can customize anything about your Titans, including their size, shape, colors, weapons, jets, armor finishes, and more.

Drunken. Robot. Pornography. may have a misleading title, but the game is fun indie romp that I’m sure friends will have blast taking turns playing with in an effort to better each other’s scores. You’ll have to see for yourself what it’s like when it releases for PC in the near future.

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Jake is a journalism student at UW-Whitewater who hopes to one day write about the video game industry for a living. When not playing games or writing about them, you can find him jamming on the bass, writing terrible fiction, or playing with his cat. Learn more about Jake (and his awesome hair) by following him on Twitter @JakeMMagee or emailing him at [email protected]

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